


Starting a New Chapter

by melonpanparade



Series: One for the Books [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angry Librarians, First Meetings, Getting to Know Each Other, Libraries, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-05
Updated: 2014-06-05
Packaged: 2018-02-03 12:08:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1744145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melonpanparade/pseuds/melonpanparade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean and Armin are strangers who frequent the same library. Jean finds himself noticing little things about Armin’s love for reading, which serves as the start of their interactions and some library shenanigans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Starting a New Chapter

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr [here.](http://melonpanparade.tumblr.com/post/67247845446)
> 
> Many thanks to [Aespren](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Aespren/) for providing me with a title for the fic and the series. Without her help and persuasion, this wouldn't have been published on AO3.

**_Summer_ **

Jean didn’t even know when he had started noticing the quiet boy sitting alone in the corner of the library, dwarfed by a tower of books and diligently poring over printed words every Sunday. Without realising, he had developed some kind of routine on his day off from his sporting club activities. Initially he had just intended to enjoy leisurely reading in an air-conditioned environment, but soon he found himself taking his book and sitting a couple of tables away from the boy; far enough not to draw attention to himself, but close enough to afford the occasional glance over the top of his book effortlessly. Today he could vaguely make out some of the titles and concluded that the other boy liked adventure/fantasy novels, with a dash of classic literature on the side.

That day Jean returned home with  _The Chronicles of Narnia_  in his possession.

The next weekend Jean caught himself openly staring when the boy closed his eyes and smiled blissfully. Jean figured he was imagining himself in the world brought to life by words and phrases meaningfully strung together. The more he observed, the more he picked up on the boy’s reading habits, like how he placed books back down on the table almost reverently, or the way he brought newer books up to his nose to breathe in that new book scent.

Out of pure curiosity, Jean brought his own tattered book up to his nose, immediately regretting it when he started coughing violently from inhaling the unpleasant mix of aging smells. He felt even worse when he realised the other boy was watching, eyes full of mirth and unmistakably hiding a smile behind the pages of his own book.  

 

* * *

 

**_Autumn_ **

It took three months, the changing colours of the leaves, and twelve books later for the two to exchange their first words. It was purely accidental; Jean was only trying to stop his book from falling from the topmost shelf—in hindsight he really should have gotten the step to help him—before he felt something soft beneath his foot and heard a sharp intake of breath behind him.

“What the— oh, I’m sorry?” His voice trailed off and he could feel a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach when he recognised that familiar blond hair.

“I’m fine. Just get your foot off mine, please.”

“Oh, my bad.”  _Smooth, Jean. First you step on his foot, and then you forget to move it off his. Apologise properly, you blundering idiot!_

His apologies were brushed aside as the smaller boy picked up the fallen book, eyes lighting up as he recognised the title.

“This is one of my favourites!”

 _I know. I saw you reading it last week and you looked so stupidly happy while reading it, that’s why I was going to borrow it._  Not wanting to betray his true intentions, Jean simply said, “Yeah, it seems pretty interesting.” It’s not like that was a lie. It just wasn’t the real reason for his interest in it.

“It is! Not many people know of this gem, but the author is a genius at creating worlds so real that they appeal to all of your senses.” Jean’s responses became shorter and shorter as he became more and more distracted by the way the boy animatedly expressed his thoughts about the author’s works.

He returned home with the fallen book, three other books by the same author, and a newfound knowledge of the boy’s intense love for the ocean.

The next weekend Jean could only groan pitifully at his bedridden state. He definitely wouldn’t be going to the library today—not while he was down with the flu—but at least he had the extra reading material to keep him occupied.

 

* * *

 

**_Winter_ **

Jean wrapped his scarf around himself tighter and then shoved his hands deep into his jacket’s pockets, willing his body to absorb the warmth of the library faster. He couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed when there was no sign of the blond hair he was accustomed to seeing in the corner of the library. Shrugging it off, he picked a book about Greek myth off the shelf and wearily walked towards his usual spot before briefly pausing and then backtracking to sit on the table in the corner instead.

It only took four or five myths about Apollo’s bad luck in love for Jean to start feeling a little drowsy and a little disheartened. As he rested his head on the table, he told himself that he wasn’t waiting for the boy or anything; it was just that he was definitely too comfortable right now to make the effort to return home. What he had expected to be a twenty minute nap ended up lasting a good two and a half hours. He groggily sat up and desperately tried to retain the heat trapped in his jacket to counter the post-nap chill. Apollo and the other Greek gods would have to wait until later. For now, it was time for him to go home.

It was only when he took out the book for some bedtime reading that he noticed slip of paper nestled neatly between the cover and the front page.

_Sorry. I thought you weren’t going to come because I was too pushy before, but I was really happy to find someone interested in the same author as I am._

_Sore foot boy (Armin)_

_P.S. See you next week when you aren’t sleeping?_

Jean’s evening was spent rolling around in his bed with his pillow, elated because he now had a name to match with the face, but equally devastated that his nap had caused him to miss his chance to redeem himself and have a normal conversation with him, with  _Armin._

 

* * *

 

**_Spring_ **

Although it had taken three months for the two to have their first encounter with each other and a few weeks after that to have their first real conversation, it had only taken one week for them to establish a mutual understanding grounded on intellectual discussions and banter over books.

Jean was outspoken about most things, but he wasn’t accustomed to having someone with whom to share his opinions about books. It was a pleasant surprise when he found that Armin was more than willing and able to best him in an argument, while still respecting his opinions and refuting them logically at times.  

He smiled stupidly to himself as he idly rested his head on the table, waiting and going through his line of reasoning to bombard Armin with when he finally came in. Without realising it, he had fallen asleep, coaxed by the gentle warmth of the sun. He felt a sense of déjà vu when he woke up, and didn’t even need to wait for his eyesight to focus to recognise the familiar figure sitting opposite him.

“Argh! Armin, I told you to wake me up next time you find me sleeping!”

“Shush Jean, we’re in a library. You can’t be loud!”

“I’m sorry?”

“Loud whispers are still loud.”

Jean chuckled at the disapproving look on the boy’s face before muttering under his breath, “I used to think you were a quiet, calm boy…”

“Of course I was quiet. We’re in a library, for crying out loud. We’re meant to be quiet!” Armin hissed.

“It’s not like we’re going to be kicked out.” Jean laughed without restraint. “By the way, I’ve been thinking about what you said the other day and I still reckon that character development is the driving factor of a good story.”

“This again? I already told you I think that character development is important, but you can’t just discount the fact that a good story also constitutes a meaningful plot, because without a plot it wouldn’t  _be_ a story.”

“But think about it; look at Shakespeare and Greek legends. The majority of the times, events unfold the way they do because of the protagonist’s flaw. Take Hamlet, for example. His downfall was his indecisiveness or tendency to overthink things instead of acting upon it or whatever you want to call it. And ugh, don’t even get me started on Greek heroes.”  

“Yeah, but Shakespeare and the great playwrights of ancient Greece were not only trying to entertain, but were also playing with emotions through the protagonist to teach their audience about what it means to be human. Isn’t that why there’s so much focus on the protagonist? Furthermore, they don’t completely disregard the plot in favour of the character.” Armin paused to catch his breath, not noticing that his voice had risen significantly.

“Armin…” Jean motioned for him to turn around, but Armin didn’t pick up on it.

“Wait, I haven’t even started telling you about how crucial the plot is in the legend of Oedip—”

“I’m sorry young man, but you’re going to have to continue telling your friend about Oedipus outside. This is a library and you’re being disruptive.” The librarian pointed to the exit, and Armin could see people glaring as he looked in that direction.

“Yes ma’am.”

Once they were outside, Jean couldn’t resist the opportunity to stand opposite Armin and smugly quip, “So, who was the one telling me that you’re not meant to be loud in a library?”

“Yeah, well, who said we wouldn’t get kicked out?”

“At least I wasn’t the one who got us kicked out.”

“Oh, shush you. Why didn’t you say anything earlier? I’ll never be able to go back there again!” Armin feebly hit Jean’s chest with his fists over and over again while looking down at the ground in embarrassment.

“Whoa, whoa, hold up there buddy.” Jean pulled Armin against him, trapping him between his chest and his arms until he felt Armin’s arms drop to his side in resignation. He let go and took a step back to look Armin in the face.

“Don’t worry about it, okay?” When Armin didn’t reply and turned away from him instead, Jean moved to stand next to him, sensing his disappointment. Briefly ruffling the shorter boy’s hair, Jean suggested, “What do you say about going to enjoy the beach for the rest of the day?”

“Mmm, that sounds like a good idea.” Armin craned his neck to look up at Jean and smiled shyly. “Let’s go.”

Jean looked away in embarrassment as Armin’s hand momentarily brushed against his, silently vowing to muster the courage to hold Armin’s hand by the end of the day.


End file.
